Multicompartment carton and package



M. J. MARGOLIES MULTICOMPARTMENT CARTON AND PACKAGE Jan. 4, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 1. 1951 INVENTOR flapfazzJMezr-golzs We ATTORNEYS Jan. 4, 1955 M. J. MARGOLKES MULTICOMPARTMENT CARTON AND PACKAGE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed 00L 1, 1951 lll J? 13 MINI? u I h IIIIIW 15 mum United States Patent MULTICOMPARTMENT CARTON AND PACKAGE Morton J. Margolies, Queens Village, N. Y.

Application October 1, 1951, Serial No. 249,140

2 Claims. (Cl. 229-28) The present invention is concerned with a multiple compartment carton of the collapsible type and packages incorporating the same.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide a multiple compartment carton which may be made wholly of a minimum amount of paper board such as double faced corrugated board, which can readily be set up in packaging the contents thereinto without the need for trained operators, without the need for any tools or equipment, which, without the need for separate padding, in herently affords adequate protection to the contents against breakage due to shock or concussion in transportation, and thus has particular utility for the packaging of bottled oods. O Another object is to provide a carton of the above type in which the individual bottles or elements are confined with uniform security, without looseness in those compartments that are in the innermost portion of the package where the ends of the bottles or the like are inherently cushioned with the same eflicacy as in the compartments adjacent the respective walls of the package and this without the need for cushioning elements or inserts separate and distinct or apart from the carton stock.

Another object is to provide a complete package of the above type with one dozen compartments, which lends itself readily by resort to a knife to severance into two separate and distinct half dozen packages, each of which is completely sealed without handling the contents, by the mere application of a short length of adhesive tape thereto.

In the accompanying drawings in which are shown one or more of various possible embodiments of the several features of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the main carton blank,

Fig. 2 is a plan view of one of the two identical partition elements used in making up the package with one dozen compartments,

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the carton partly made up,

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the package in a more advanced state of completion,

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the completed one dozen package,

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 5,

Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 7-7 of Fig. 6,

Fig. 8 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 6, and

Fig. 9 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 9-9 of Fig. 5.

Referring now to Fig. 1 of the drawings, the blank B comprises a rectangular wall structure made up of a pair of end wall panels 10 and 11 and a pair of side wall panels 12 and 13, said panels being connected in sequence by fold lines 14 and the opposed abutting edges of which sequence are connected together, as for instance by a piece of adhesive tape 15. In the preferred construction shown, the connecting tape 15 is midway of the height of one of the side panels 13, such side panel being made up of semiside panels 13' and 130 at the opposite ends of the blank shown in Fig. 1.

According to the invention, each of the wall panels is provided with flaps both at the top and bottom edge thereof. The flaps on the side wall panels are each of width equal to about half the width of the side wall, as shown,

Patented Jan. 4, 1955 side wall 12 having two contiguous flaps 16 and 17 and each side wall panel sections 13 and 12 having one of such flaps 18 and 19, respectively. Each of said flaps 16, 17, 18, 19 has a transverse fold line 20 spaced from the edge of its panel by a width 21 of approximately one-third the width of each of the end panels 10, 11. The outer portion 22 of each of such side wall flaps, that is the portion beyond its fold line 20, is of height equal approximately to half the height of the package. Each of said side wall flaps is bifurcated by a slot 23 extending vertically midway of the free edge thereof, preferably for about half the height of the outer portion 22 of the flap.

Each of the flaps 24, 25 on the respective end walls 10 and 11 extends the entire width of such wall and has a transverse fold line 26 separated from the end wall by a distance equal to half the width of the side wall and has an outer portion 27 of height equal to approximately half the height of the package.

As shown the flaps described are exactly duplicated at the bottom and top of the blank, and the package is made therefrom in the manner presently to be described.

Each of the two separate partition wall elements P shown in Fig. 2 is of height and width equal to that of the end Wall and is vertically slotted from its upper and lower edges as at 28, preferably each slot extending about one-fourth the height of the partition wall, and each of said two sets of slots dividing the width of the partition into three equal segments 29, 30 and 31.

The packaging operation with the carton described will now be briefly set forth. The carton, preferably made with its two opposed edges originally connected by the adhesive tape length 15 is spread open. The various flaps 16, 17 18 and 19 at the lower edges of the side walls are turned horizontally inward and their outer portions 22 turned upward, to extend as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, parallel to the respective side walls 12, 13. The two partition members P are interengaged at their slots 22 with the upstanding bifurcations 23 at the free edges of the various side wall flaps. Accordingly, portions 22 of bottom flaps 17 and 19 with the transverse partition P, divide one-half of the bottom area into six compartments, and this relation is duplicated at the other half of the carton by bottom flaps 16 and 18.

The bottom flaps 24 and 25 of the end walls form the bottom of the package, with their transverse folds 26 abutting at the transverse mid-line of the package, the outer portions 27 of such fiaps being turned inward in face-toface engagement to divide the six compartment portions near one end of the package from the corresponding six compartment portions near the other end. The bottles or other articles (not shown in Figs. 3 and 4) are now intro duced into the several compartments.

The package is completed, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, by turning inward the top flaps 16 and 18 of the side walls, each to extend over a pair of bottles adjacent the corresponding side wall and the ends of such flaps are interengaged at their bifurcations 23, each with the corresponding slot 28 of the associated partition member P and with its end edge e abutting the end edge of the corresponding flap at the bottom. Two bottles will thus be completely encased in individual compartments, as shown in Fig. 3, near each side wall, while two further bottles are disposed in compartments spaced from the side walls and between the inturned side wall flap portions 22. After the operation described, say at the left end of the box as shown at one stage in Fig. 3, the corresponding fiap 24 of the end wall is folded over the bottles and its outer portion 27 is inturned with its free edge abutting the like edge of the corresponding flap at the bottom. Thus six of the bottles are completely encased, each in an individual compartment. The same operation is now repeated for the other six bottles at the right half of the carton.

The construction as thus far described, is subject to one objection, namely that while the packages in the compartment nearest the side walls 12 and 13 have each a double ply of packaging stock at top and bottom, namely one ply made up of the side wall flaps 16, 17, 18 or 19, and the other of the end wall flap 24 or 25. the intervening compartments, that is, those in the middle tier of four compartments have only the single ply of the end wall flap 24 or 25 closing the same, so that said inner compartments are of height greater than the other compartments by twice the thickness of the package stock, and hence the bottles or other articles in such compartments would have objectionable freedom of displacement. T h1s objection is obviated according to the present invention by cutting out, preferably from the end portion 22 of each of the side wall flaps 16, 17, 18 and 19 from near one lateral edge thereof, a small tongue 32 Whose root is at the fold line 20 but which itself has no fold. Each of such tongues will thus extend outward over the corresponding extremity of the corresponding middle tier compartment, to be held by the bottle or other container, one against the top and the other against the bottom wall 24 or 25, and thereby to do away with any looseness or freedom of motion.

The complete package made up as above described, is best shown in Figs. 5 to 9, from which it is seen how each bottle is housed in a separate compartment. The twelve compartments are shown in three tiers of four each, one tier of four against one side wall 12, another tier of four against the opposite side wall 13', 13 and a third tier of four thcrebetween. The compartments comprise two sets of a half-dozen compartments each, separated from each other by the inturned outer portions 27 of the end wall flaps 24, which are in end to end abutment at f, as shown in Figs. 6 and 8, the two sets of said flaps being in face to face engagement, as best shown in Figs. 6 and 9. The inturned portions 22 of the side wall flaps 16, 17, 18, 19, interengaging the partition members P at their respective slots 23, 28, form the two individual compartments adjacent each of the four upright edges 11 of the package, the inturned side flap portions 22 being in edge to edge abutment at their free ends 0. As the tongues 32 from the respective side flaps extend along the top and bottom of the package, they afford end engagement for the bottles or other articles in the intermediate tier of compartments which are thus of the same effective height as the outer compartments and confine the bottles therein with full security.

The package being made of suitable, stiff paper board, preferably double faced corrugated board, thus affords excellent protection to the fragile bottles or the like. each of which is snugly engaged by the lateral walls of the rectangular compartment therefor and by the top and bottom wall to be secure against lateral or end movement. Thus the package will admit of rough handling without iniurv to the fragile contents.

The package, as shown in Figs. 5 to 9, admits readily of being separated into two-half-dozen packages without the need for removing or re-packaging the bottles. To this end all that is necessary is to provide an upright re ion of severance, preferably a line of perforations 33 midwa across the side panel 12 shown in Fig. 1, so that by running a knife therealong, such side wall is cut into two and by similarly running a knife along the mid section of the adhesive tape 15. the opposite side wall is cut into. thereby dividing the package into two separate and distinct half-dozen packages. The abutting free edges of the end wall flaps 27 form the closure for each such half-dozen package. which may be sealed by simply running a length of adhesive tape (not shown) therealong.

Thus the dozen carton is made of a minimum amount of paper board stock. and of a minimum number of parts, namely a blank B that is nearly rectangular in outline. and thus avoids excessive waste, and a pair of small flat partition members P for a one dozen package. It is easily set up, affords a secure package with adequate protection to fragile contents, and permits of ready subdivision into two separate half-dozen packages where desired.

While the drawings and the foregoing description show a multiple compartment carton for one dozen bottles, iars or the like, it will be apparent that the principle of the invention may be incorporated in a package for a dozen and a half and other multiples of six compartments. Thus. each half-section of the carton, as shown in the drawings, instead of having only two transverse rows of three compartments each, could have three or more such rows. To this end the flaps 22, instead of being bifurcated, would be divided into three or more segments, to coact with the corresponding number of partitions P required.

It would also be within the scope of the invention trans versely to sub-divide each compartment for housing two objects in superposed relation. To this end it would merely be necessary to provide, midway of the height of the package, a horizontal partition of the size and shape of the carton base. Each partition P would, of course, be correspondingly divided into two sections, one below and one above such horizontal partition. Thus, the onedozen compartment carton shown becomes one with two-dozen compartments, and the carton with a dozen and a half compartments, becomes one with three dozen compartments.

So secure is the closure, especially by reason of the long span of each closure flap 24, 25 of two-faced corrugated board, that no adhesive or other auxiliary fastening means is required along their abutting transverse fold lines 26 and yet it is impossible to open the package except by the exercise of force such as to give unmistakable evidence of tampering. The package can, however, be effectively and conveniently re-closed as often as required.

The partition members P can be derived from the original board stock with a minimum of waste by cutting them from the intervals between the two flaps 27 at the upper and lower ends of the blank shown in Fig. 1.

While in general it is preferred to provide partitions P that extend the entire height of the box as described, it is possible, within the scope of the invention, to employ partitions of somewhat lesser height. since partitions thus foreshortened will, for most uses, still effectively prevent contact between the contents of neighboring com artments.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope of the claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings, shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A carton having a plurality of separate compartments for bottles or the like, said carton comprising a rectangular wall structure including a pair of side wall panels and a connecting pair of end wall panels, each of said panels having inturned flaps extending from the top and bottom thereof, the flaps from an opposed pair of said panels each having a transverse fold line spaced from said panel by one-third the distance between said panels and having an outer portion of half the height of the box to extend vertically into abutment with the opposed or companion flap to define an end cavity in coaction with the panel from which they extend, whereby the space between such end cavities formed from the flaps extendmg from the two opposed walls defines a middle cavity, means transversely of said flap-formed cavities to form a separating wall thereacross, thereby to subdivide each of said three cavities into two individual compartments, means forming a top wall and means forming a bottom wall for said carton, and means alfording added thickness of stock at the middle compartments that are devoid of the thickness formed by the inturned pair of flaps, said means comprising tongues cut out from the inturned ends of said flaps and having their roots at the transverse fold lines thereof. said tongues extending into said middle compartments adjacent the top and bottom walls thereof to provide a height between the two tongues in each compartment equal to the height determined between the inturned flaps at the end compartments.

2. A carton for accommodating a dozen bottles or the like in individual compartments, said carton comprising a rectangular wall structure including two side walls and two end walls,fiaps protruding from and extending substantially the width of the upper and lower edges of the respective walls, the side wall flaps being in pairs, each approximately half the width of the side wall and each bifurcated from the free edge thereof, each of said bifurcated fiaps having a transverse fold line spaced from the corresponding wall panel by a distance substantially equal to one-third the width of the end wall, two separate partition wall members, each of substantially the area of the end wall, each accommodated in relation parallel to an end wall at a distance from such end wall equal to half the width of a bifurcated flap and each of said partitions being slitted for inter-engagement with the corresponding bifurcated flap when the same has been turned inward horizontally and with the free end at right angles thereto across the partition wall member, thereby to divide the space at opposite sides of each partition into three compartments, the end wall flaps each hilving a transverse fold line spaced from the respective end wall by half the width of the side wall, the ends of said flaps beyond said fold lines being tucked inward to ,{form a transverse separating wall defining at opposite sides} thereof the two sets of six compartments, each of the line of four compartments mid-way between the side walls, which is of height greater than that of the compartments adjacent the respective side walls by reason of the absence of horizontally inturned flap sections, having an extra thickness of ,the stock of the box so as to be of the same effective height as the other compartments, sucl'ri extra thickness comprising a horizontally oumurned tongue from the stock of the correspondingly inturned side flap extremity, such tongue extending outward from and having its root at the transverse fold 11116 of such flap.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,098,639 Walther Nov. 9, 1937 2,141,399 Luhn Dec. 27, 1938 2,450,941 Crane Oct. 12, 1948 2,551,679 Johnson May 8, 1951 2,596,331 Ferguson May 13, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 397,047 Great Britain Aug. 17, 1933 425,663 Great Britain Mar. 19, 1935 

